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No to the status quo: Disgruntled voters changed Volusia County's political landscape

MAC THROWER

Published: Sunday, November 18, 2012 at 5:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 16, 2012 at 6:59 p.m.

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.

— John F. Kennedy

The members of the prestigious Tiger Bay Club of Volusia County were looking to the past when they decided to exclude Jason Davis from their county chair debate, held Aug. 2 at the Sunset Harbor Yacht Club in Daytona Beach. Their eyes were fixed on two longtime figures on the local political scene, attorney Ted Doran and former County Councilman Carl Persis, as they slugged it out in a bitter, high-priced primary battle.

Tiger Bay’s president explained that the group had “limited time” to hear from the candidates. So Davis, a Gulf War veteran who had never held public office, was the odd man out.

Here’s a suggestion for Tiger Bay: In the future, they may want to make some time to hear from the new county chair.

Davis finished second to Persis in the primary, then throttled him in the general election, winning 96 of Volusia’s 125 precincts. This was a big surprise for the local political establishment, which assumed the underfunded Davis had no chance against Persis, who had been winning elections in Volusia County since the 1990s.

It turns out that voters in Volusia County were ready for change, and they made that clear on Nov. 6. Several local governing bodies, including the Volusia County Council, the Daytona Beach City Commission and the Deltona City Commission, have a new look now.

Daytona Beach has a new mayor. Former city Commissioner Derrick Henry handily defeated former Commissioner Edith Shelley, a favorite of the city’s business establishment.

And for the first time in at least 30 years, county voters rejected a School Board request for a tax increase — a request that was backed by prominent business leaders.

It’s too early to say what effect a slew of new officeholders will have on local government, but with four of the county’s best known elected officials leaving office — Persis, former County Chair Frank Bruno, a major player in county politics for years, who lost a state Senate bid to Dorothy Hukill; Daytona Beach Mayor Glenn Ritchey, who chose not to run for re-election; and 20-year School Board veteran Judy Conte — the political environment is likely to change.

It didn’t seem that significant at the time, but the first tremor of what turned out to be a minor political earthquake could be felt in the days after the county chair debate at Tiger Bay. A number of people expressed outrage over the exclusion of Davis from the debate, and several letter writers made their anger known on The News-Journal’s opinion pages.

“The decision to exclude an American veteran, who has earned a Bronze Star for valor in battle fighting for his country, from a debate for an office for which he has qualified as a candidate, will forever give me a bad taste in my mouth,” one letter said.

The author of that letter was Phil Giorno, chairman of the Democratic Party of Volusia County and a member of the Tiger Bay Club. County Council seats are nonpartisan, but Volusia County Republicans strongly backed Davis.

I don’t want to beat up on Tiger Bay, because the club’s leaders certainly weren’t the only ones to miss the strength of Davis’ appeal as an outsider. But the mean verbal brawl between Doran and Persis — and the decision to keep Davis out of the debate — became a kind of symbol of establishment politics in Volusia County.

Davis looked like a victim of institutional arrogance. Voters everywhere don’t care much for political elites that appear aloof from the man and woman on the street. The key word here is appear — the reality may be different, but appearances matter a great deal in politics.

Looking for patterns in elections can lead nowhere; every race has its own unique elements. But the voting in Volusia on Nov. 6 did seem to send a message of general unease or discontent. That’s not surprising in a county with an unemployment rate well above the national average, the second highest combined property tax rate in the state and a history of highly touted economic development plans that have produced relatively meager results.

Davis hammered the high property tax rate and the county’s 12-cents-per-gallon gas tax. (Note, for purposes of comparison: the federal fuel tax is 18.4 cents per gallon.)

Linda Costello, who defeated Conte in the School Board race, opposed the school district’s bid for $25 million in new property tax revenue. Conte was an outspoken supporter of the tax increase.

Davis also made an issue of the Ocean Center, the county’s most visible attempt to ignite development on Daytona Beach’s languishing beachside. He said the county should privatize the operations of the facility, which has not been a financial success for the taxpayers.

Persis, a retired school principal, may have been hurt when he resigned his County Council seat so he could remain eligible to collect state pension benefits and a $275,000 lump-sum payment from the retirement system. I don’t blame Persis for trying to get the best possible retirement arrangement for himself and his family. But as a retired public employee, he has a retirement deal that’s much sweeter than those available to most private-sector employees. That fact could have fueled some populist resentment.

I think the election results show Volusia County voters generally were not satisfied with the status quo. That clearly hurt Persis, Conte and some other incumbents. But it’s not clear what type of change voters expect Davis and other new officeholders to deliver. I’m sure about this, however: an improvement in the area’s economy would make the newcomers and the veterans feel much more secure.

Mac Thrower is the opinion page editor of The News-Journal. Email him at mac.thrower@news-jrnl.com

<p><i>Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. </p><p> — John F. Kennedy</i> </p><p> The members of the prestigious Tiger Bay Club of Volusia County were looking to the past when they decided to exclude Jason Davis from their county chair debate, held Aug. 2 at the Sunset Harbor Yacht Club in Daytona Beach. Their eyes were fixed on two longtime figures on the local political scene, attorney Ted Doran and former County Councilman Carl Persis, as they slugged it out in a bitter, high-priced primary battle. </p><p> Tiger Bay's president explained that the group had “limited time” to hear from the candidates. So Davis, a Gulf War veteran who had never held public office, was the odd man out. </p><p> Here's a suggestion for Tiger Bay: In the future, they may want to make some time to hear from the new county chair. </p><p> Davis finished second to Persis in the primary, then throttled him in the general election, winning 96 of Volusia's 125 precincts. This was a big surprise for the local political establishment, which assumed the underfunded Davis had no chance against Persis, who had been winning elections in Volusia County since the 1990s. </p><p> It turns out that voters in Volusia County were ready for change, and they made that clear on Nov. 6. Several local governing bodies, including the Volusia County Council, the Daytona Beach City Commission and the Deltona City Commission, have a new look now. </p><p> Daytona Beach has a new mayor. Former city Commissioner Derrick Henry handily defeated former Commissioner Edith Shelley, a favorite of the city's business establishment. </p><p> And for the first time in at least 30 years, county voters rejected a School Board request for a tax increase — a request that was backed by prominent business leaders. </p><p> It's too early to say what effect a slew of new officeholders will have on local government, but with four of the county's best known elected officials leaving office — Persis, former County Chair Frank Bruno, a major player in county politics for years, who lost a state Senate bid to Dorothy Hukill; Daytona Beach Mayor Glenn Ritchey, who chose not to run for re-election; and 20-year School Board veteran Judy Conte — the political environment is likely to change. </p><p> It didn't seem that significant at the time, but the first tremor of what turned out to be a minor political earthquake could be felt in the days after the county chair debate at Tiger Bay. A number of people expressed outrage over the exclusion of Davis from the debate, and several letter writers made their anger known on The News-Journal's opinion pages. </p><p> “The decision to exclude an American veteran, who has earned a Bronze Star for valor in battle fighting for his country, from a debate for an office for which he has qualified as a candidate, will forever give me a bad taste in my mouth,” one letter said. </p><p> The author of that letter was Phil Giorno, chairman of the Democratic Party of Volusia County and a member of the Tiger Bay Club. County Council seats are nonpartisan, but Volusia County Republicans strongly backed Davis. </p><p> I don't want to beat up on Tiger Bay, because the club's leaders certainly weren't the only ones to miss the strength of Davis' appeal as an outsider. But the mean verbal brawl between Doran and Persis — and the decision to keep Davis out of the debate — became a kind of symbol of establishment politics in Volusia County. </p><p> Davis looked like a victim of institutional arrogance. Voters everywhere don't care much for political elites that appear aloof from the man and woman on the street. The key word here is <i>appear —</i> the reality may be different, but appearances matter a great deal in politics. </p><p> Looking for patterns in elections can lead nowhere; every race has its own unique elements. But the voting in Volusia on Nov. 6 did seem to send a message of general unease or discontent. That's not surprising in a county with an unemployment rate well above the national average, the second highest combined property tax rate in the state and a history of highly touted economic development plans that have produced relatively meager results. </p><p> Davis hammered the high property tax rate and the county's 12-cents-per-gallon gas tax. (Note, for purposes of comparison: the federal fuel tax is 18.4 cents per gallon.) </p><p> Linda Costello, who defeated Conte in the School Board race, opposed the school district's bid for $25 million in new property tax revenue. Conte was an outspoken supporter of the tax increase. </p><p> Davis also made an issue of the Ocean Center, the county's most visible attempt to ignite development on Daytona Beach's languishing beachside. He said the county should privatize the operations of the facility, which has not been a financial success for the taxpayers. </p><p> Persis, a retired school principal, may have been hurt when he resigned his County Council seat so he could remain eligible to collect state pension benefits and a $275,000 lump-sum payment from the retirement system. I don't blame Persis for trying to get the best possible retirement arrangement for himself and his family. But as a retired public employee, he has a retirement deal that's much sweeter than those available to most private-sector employees. That fact could have fueled some populist resentment. </p><p> I think the election results show Volusia County voters generally were not satisfied with the status quo. That clearly hurt Persis, Conte and some other incumbents. But it's not clear what type of change voters expect Davis and other new officeholders to deliver. I'm sure about this, however: an improvement in the area's economy would make the newcomers and the veterans feel much more secure. </p><p><i>Mac Thrower is the opinion page editor of The News-Journal. Email him at mac.thrower@news-jrnl.com</i></p>